The use of honeycomb core sandwich panels filled with a shear thickening fluid (STF) as a component of spacecraft micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MMOD) shielding was investigated using hypervelocity impact (HVI) testing. Incorporating a STF into shielding has the potential to reduce damage to the core and the likelihood of back-side facesheet perforation in the event of a HVI. The sandwich panels tested consisted of 1.27 cm thick hexagonal aluminum honeycomb core bonded between 0.064 cm thick aluminum facesheets. The STF displayed a marked rise in viscosity with increasing shear rate above a critical shear rate. It was based on low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hydrophilic fumed silica. Sandwich panel target specimens filled with the STF were subjected to HVIs by 1 mm diameter stainless steel spheres at nominal temperatures of -80°C or 21°C with nominal impact velocities of 4.8 km/s or 6.8 km/s. Additional specimens filled with PEG only were also impacted for comparison.

Visual inspections and X-ray computerized tomography were used to assess impact damage. All of the panels experienced perforation of the impacted facesheet, facesheet bulging, localized delamination, and the formation of a cavity in the damaged core. STF-filled panels sustained significantly less damage than PEG-filled panels. None of the STF-filled panels were completely perforated during impact. In contrast, one of the PEG-filled panels impacted at the peak velocity was perforated. The remaining PEG-filled panel sustained substantially more honeycomb core damage and facesheet-core delamination compared to an analogous STF-filled panel. Sandwich panels filled with the STF provide superior HVI mitigation in comparison to panels filled with a Newtonian fluid (i.e., PEG). These experiments show that incorporation of STFs into MMOD shielding components has the potential to dramatically improve the HVI penetration resistance over a broad range of impact velocities and temperatures.

通过超高速冲击（HVI）测试，研究了填充有剪切增稠液（STF）的蜂窝芯夹芯板作为航天器微流星体/轨道碎片（MMOD）屏蔽的组成部分的情况。如果将STF纳入屏蔽层，则有可能在发生HVI时减少对纤芯的损坏以及减少背面面板穿孔的可能性。测试的夹心板由粘结在0.064厘米厚的铝面板之间的1.27厘米厚的六边形铝蜂窝芯组成。STF在临界剪切速率之上显示出随着剪切速率的增加粘度显着增加。它基于低分子量聚乙二醇（PEG）和亲水性气相二氧化硅。在-80°C或21°C的标称温度下，将标有STF的夹心板目标样品用直径为1 mm的不锈钢球体进行HVI，标称冲击速度为4.8 km / s或6.8 km / s。仅填充PEG的其他标本也受到影响以进行比较。

目视检查和X射线计算机断层摄影术用于评估冲击损伤。所有的面板都经历了受影响的面板的穿孔，面板凸起，局部分层以及在受损芯中形成空腔的情况。填充STF的面板比填充PEG的面板遭受的损坏要少得多。STF填充面板在撞击过程中没有完全打孔。相反，以峰值速度冲击的PEG填充板之一被穿孔。与类似的STF填充面板相比，其余的PEG填充面板承受的蜂窝芯损坏和面板芯层剥离明显更多。夹芯板填充有STF到面板填充有牛顿流体提供优越HVI缓解相比（即，PEG）。这些实验表明，将STF掺入MMOD屏蔽组件具有在很大的冲击速度和温度范围内显着提高HVI耐穿透性的潜力。